Neighbors air more worries about data center
A special-called City Council meeting Monday outlined potential uses for surplus city-owned land while neighbors raised concerns about a proposed buffer between homes and a data center.
During the workshop, engineering company HDR presented projects for Taylor that would use existing municipal properties and parcels as part of a
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I want to make sure you do the right thing by that piece of property.”
— Pamela Griffin facilities master plan.
One of the parcels is 16 acres along East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that is part of an 87-acre plot the original owners donated for future parkland.
The strip serves as a buffer zone between residences on First, Second and Royal streets and the planned Blueprint Data Centers development, which will occupy the rest of the acreage.
“This is a very disputed property and the community wants to have a lot of input in what happens there and still expects to move forward with the full 87 acres being parkland,” said community activist Carrie D’Anna.
A lawsuit seeking to stop development of the full parcel and restore it to the parkland proposed by the Cromwell family when they donated the property in 1999 is currently in the appeals process after being dismissed by Judge Ryan Larsen of the 395th state District Court in October.
“I want to make sure you do the right thing by that piece of property,” said neighbor Pamela Griffin. “We’re fighting to get the ... park. We want y’all to understand, you need to do the right thing for our community.”
Griffin lives on Second Street and is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
In addition to the disputed land, HDR representative Miles Vandewalle identified other unused, vacant parcels along Doak Street and U.S. 79 the city could use.
“HDR has spent a comprehensive amount of time early on to go through all 139 parcels the city of Taylor owns and distilled it down to this list,” Vandewalle said.
The proposed city projects included a police vehicle evidence storage lot at 1407 Welch St., a parks field office and maintenance yard at 210 Carlos G. Parker Blvd. and expansion of the Taylor Public Library at 801 Vance St.
The city’s longdesired Fire Station No. 3 made the list of projects, but no specific site was suggested.
A Taylor Fire Department storage and training facility was also recommended to house property at an undisclosed address on Chandler Road.
